Archives for August 2015

Today’s post is a quick and easy recipe for Fruity Liquid Gold! Okay, so technically it’s not gold colored, but it’s fruity and liquid and tastes soooo gold – I mean, good. It’s got a pink, orange, gold thing going on so we’ll make it work. This beautifully colored drink is part smoothie, part juice, part tropical heaven 🍹🍹 It’s full of nutrients that will give you glowing skin and you can add whatever else you would like to it. Then fill up the kiddie pool, put on your sunglasses, and imagine you’re on a tropical island faraway.

Before we get to the recipe though, can I just give a belated shoutout to Women’s Equality Day & National Dog Day?! I think it’s no coincidence that these two great specimens are honored on the same day. Clearly, both are amazing, although I might be a little biased? 😉 Either way, August 26 is seriously making it’s way to the top of my favorite day of the year list, which includes competition such as Halloween and my birthday, so that’s saying a lot.

I think my best gal pal Josie fully embodies August 26 because, well, she’s a dog and a woman – she’s a dogwoman.

Before I get to the total awesomeness of Thrive Market, I have an exciting announcement to make. I’m now a contributor to a really cool food blog called Girls on Food. Yay! 🎉🎉 It’s completely run and written by women all over the country, sharing their views on food and contributing recipes, restaurant reviews, and personal stories. I’m doubly excited because I’m their first vegan blogger 🙌 so I think this will be a great opportunity to reach viewers that I wouldn’t normally cross paths with and show them how easy and delicious it is to eat plant-based foods. My very first post is up on their website. I chose my Berry & Herb Coconut Ice Cream Pops recipe to get the ball rolling because well, it’s so simple to make and who doesn’t like popsicles in the summer?

Okay, one more bit of exciting news before I get on to the real purpose of this post. Last month, I posted a recipe for Vegan S’mores Fudge Brownies. You can’t make s’mores brownies without marshmallows, right? I used Dandies Marshmallows because they’re vegan and yummy and awesome and yummy. I guess Dandies liked my recipe because they featured it all over their social media (not complaining) and I was excited to see that it was also featured in their most recent e-letter. Woo hoo! I have another recipe I’ll be posting in coming weeks that features these little puffs of heaven. You can buy Dandies at specialty grocery stores like Central Market and Whole Foods, and I’ve even seen them at some of my local HEB supermarkets.

Okay I lied. I have one more quick tidbit. And this is really important because I need your help. I’ve started working on my first E-Book that I want to make available for FREE to anyone that signs up for my weekly e-letter. But I need to know what you, the people are actually interested in seeing. So I have a question for you:

Which type of free e-book would you be more likely to read?

A cookbook that contains my top recipes and follows a theme (gluten-free, quick & easy, beets!)

-OR-

A realistic 7 day detox that I created that will give you oodles of energy, an instant mood lift, and beautiful nails?

If you have a moment to comment on this post (or hit the reply button if you’re reading this through my e-letter) and let me know what you think, I’d really appreciate your feedback. Or tell me if you have something else you’d like to see that wasn’t listed above.

This week has been super crazy for me. I’ve been cooking and baking nonstop for the blog while also juggling outside job opportunities and you know, figuring out the general direction of my life. No big deal. Despite my busy schedule, me and Netflix just have a bond that I can’t ignore. GMO OMG has been on my queue for weeks because well, I knew it was going to be good, and I wanted to give it the full attention it deserved.

It’s a documentary that follows director Jeremy Seifert as he looks for answers to how GMOs affect our health, our planet, and our freedom of choice. It’s fascinating, informative, funny, terrifying, and will really make you think about your food choices. I decided to focus on a few of the facts that I find most interesting from this film, but I highly recommend you watch it for yourself to get the full effect.

Before I begin, what exactly is a GMO (aka genetically modified organism)?

“Organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. “

-World Health Organization

There’s 2 types of GMOs:

Pesticide Producers kill insects. Example – Monsanto’s BT Corn, where a gene from a naturally occurring bacterium is inserted into the DNA of corn. The modified corn produces a toxin that’s lethal to insects.

Herbicide Resisters are weed killer immune. Example – Roundup Ready Soy, where the DNA is altered with a soil bacterium’s genes to make the plant immune to the weed killer called Roundup. Farmers douse their fields with Roundup to kill every weed and unwanted plant, but even when coated in herbicide, the soy plant remains unharmed.

The European Union first established labeling of GMOs in 1997. Several states in the U.S. have tried to make GMO labeling mandatory in the past, but Monsanto has threatened to sue them or has spent millions of dollars to defeat them. And now the Dark Act has passed, which blocks the USDA from implementing mandatory GMO labeling on foods. That means we as consumers will be in the dark about what’s in our food and how it’s grown.

Here’s 10 more reasons why GMOs suck and what you can do about it…

1. Haiti Knows What’s Up

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and suffers from poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Their devastating 2010 earthquake didn’t help things, and yet when Monsanto offered the country 475 tons of GMO seeds, Haiti said thanks but no thanks. They lovingly refer to Monsanto seeds as “poison.” In one Haitian town that actually accepted some of the seeds, it ruined their crop and cost them money so they stopped using them. Protestors went as far as burning the seeds to show their disgust for Monsanto.

This week I’ve been trying to readjust back to my normal, quiet, food blogging life after spending 7 days in a row working behind the scenes on a production that was in Austin filming cooking shows. That meant waking up at 5 am every morning and usually working 12 hour days. On the plus side, it also meant hanging with the chefs of really cool restaurants, learning their trade secrets, and getting to eat their delicious food. Not all the dishes were vegan, so I wasn’t able to eat everything, but the rest of the crew knew to clear a path for me whenever a vegan dish made an appearance! It was a really fun experience and I got to meet some awesome people and gain 5 pounds from eating all day/everyday. 🍴

No more home fries and cupcakes and fried green tomatoes. At least, not all in one day. Back to fruits, veggies, and legumes. A couple of weeks ago I was craving a veggie and cheese casserole and brainstormed what my options were. I was staying with my friend at her lake house and her neighbor had given her a huge zucchini fresh from his garden, so I gathered together some quinoa, fresh basil, vegan cheese, and a couple of other ingredients to create a healthy & satisfying casserole dish. It’s very lasagna-esque thanks to the pasta taste of the quinoa, homemade tomato sauce, cheese, and basil. So if you’re craving some healthy Italian food, this is your dish!

Okay, so it kind of looks like a hot mess when you spoon it out (see first photo), but trust me, it’s completely tasty and cheesy & awesome!

HEY THERE! I’M JILLIAN.

I live along the border of Mexico in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and create cruelty-free recipes that are delicious! I'm here to show you that it's easy to follow a plant based lifestyle. Not only are the health and beauty benefits noticeable, but it creates a more sustainable planet and keeps our animal friends safe & happy. I also love books, music, dark chocolate, and the great outdoors. LEARN MORE…

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